##¶&*%:«,¨                                          ¨,«:%*&¶##
¶¶&&*%:«,¨                                          ¨,«:%*&&¶¶
&%««¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨««%&
¶&&*::«,¨¨                                          ¨¨,«::*&&¶
&%:««««¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨««««:%&
¶¶**%%:«,¨                WINDS ESKER               ¨,«:%%**¶¶
¶&&**%:«,¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨,«:%**&&¶
##¶&*%:«,¨                                          ¨,«:%*&¶##
##¶&*%:«,¨ THERE WAS THIS PLACE  THAT FOR TWO YEARS ¨,«:%*&¶##
###&*%:«,¨ I  COULDN'T  GO  TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ¨,«:%*&###
##¶&*%:«,¨ DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS,  OR  POINTED  OUT ¨,«:%*&¶##
¶¶*:::«¨¨¨ ON  MAPS, I COULD  NOT THINK  OF IT WHEN ¨¨¨«:::*¶¶
&**::,¨¨¨¨ ALONE. I  WOULD  OFTEN  TRAVEL PAST  THE ¨¨¨¨,::**&
##¶&*%:«,¨ FORK,  WHERE A RIGHT  TURN WOULD  SURELY ¨,«:%*&¶##
##¶&*%:«,¨ TAKE ME THERE,  BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ¨,«:%*&¶##
&%:,,,¨¨¨¨              KEPT ME AWAY.               ¨¨¨¨,,,:%&
&&&&*%:«,¨                                          ¨,«:%*&&&&
&%«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ WHEN  I  FINALLY  GOT  THERE, AFTER SOME ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«%&
##¶&*%:«,¨     HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST     ¨,«:%*&¶##
¶&%%::,¨¨¨ ASSUME,  THE  PLACE  WAS   SURREAL.   AN ¨¨¨,::%%&¶
##¶&*%:«,¨ ESKER,  LIKE  A NEEDLE-THIN  RIFT OUT IN ¨,«:%*&¶##
&*::«,¨¨¨¨ THE  LAKE,  BUT  TEN  METERS  HIGH   AND ¨¨¨¨,«::*&
##¶&*%:«,¨ ADORNED IN BIRCH,  WILLOW, BRACKEN,  AND ¨,«:%*&¶##
#¶&&*%:«,¨               BLUEBERRIES.               ¨,«:%*&&¶#
#&&%«,,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,,«%&&#
#&&*%%:«,¨ WALKING  ATOP  THAT  SPINE,  I  CAME  TO ¨,«:%%*&&#
##¶&*%:«,¨ NOTICE  THE VIEW  TO EITHER SIDE.  THERE ¨,«:%*&¶##
##¶&*%:«,¨ SHOULD  BE  SHORES,  OF  COURSE,  BUT  I ¨,«:%*&¶##
¶&&**%:«,¨ DIDN'T RECOGNIZE  THEM. FIRST  OFF, THEY ¨,«:%**&&¶
##¶&*%:«,¨ WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE,  AS THE LAKE SHOULD ¨,«:%*&¶##
&%«¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ STRETCH  FOR  A  HUNDRED METERS  MORE ON ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨«%&
#&&&*%:«,¨ BOTH  SIDES.  BUT NOW  I  FELT  I  COULD ¨,«:%*&&&#
¶&**::««,¨ ALMOST  REACH  OUT  AND  TOUCH THEM. AND ¨,««::**&¶
¶*%::,¨¨¨¨ THEN, WHEN I  REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY ¨¨¨¨,::%*¶
¶¶¶&*%:«,¨           WERE, I HAD TO STOP.           ¨,«:%*&¶¶¶
##¶&*%:«,¨                                          ¨,«:%*&¶##
##¶&*%:«,¨ THEY  WERE  OF THE  RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS ¨,«:%*&¶##
#¶¶&*%:«,¨       LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND      ¨,«:%*&¶¶#
##¶&*%:«,¨ BIPARTITE.  LIKE A PAIR  OF LUNGS CARVED ¨,«:%*&¶##
¶¶&**%:«,¨ INTO  THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN ¨,«:%**&¶¶
¶**:,¨¨¨¨¨   FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS   ¨¨¨¨¨,:**¶
&*:::««,¨¨      POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE      ¨¨,««:::*&
#¶*%%«¨¨¨¨     IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY    ¨¨¨¨«%%*¶#
##¶&*%:«,¨ UNDERSTOOD THEM  AS BELONGING MANY MILES ¨,«:%*&¶##
&%«¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                   AWAY.                  ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨«%&
&*%:,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,:%*&
¶¶¶&*%:«,¨ I  EXAMINED  THE   RIDGE,  THE  TREELINE ¨,«:%*&¶¶¶
¶&**:,¨¨¨¨ ABOVE. WAS THIS WHAT  YOU SAW  OPPOSITE, ¨¨¨¨,:**&¶
¶¶&&*%:«,¨ FROM  THOSE  OTHER  SHORES?  I  COULDN'T ¨,«:%*&&¶¶
##¶&*%:«,¨                REMEMBER.                 ¨,«:%*&¶##
¶**%:::«,¨                                          ¨,«:::%**¶
&*:::,¨¨¨¨ CARRYING  FORWARD, ON  THE  VERY TIP  OF ¨¨¨¨,:::*&
¶¶*%:,¨¨¨¨ THE  ESKER,  I  FOUND THE RUINS  OF SOME ¨¨¨¨,:%*¶¶
#&*%:«¨¨¨¨    OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN    ¨¨¨¨«:%*&#
##¶&*%:«,¨ MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH  ¨,«:%*&¶##
&&*%%%:«,¨ THE  MOSS,  AND STRANGE  SLABS  INSERTED ¨,«:%%%*&&
##¶&*%:«,¨ INTO  THE SLOPE  LIKE  DAMS AGAINST  THE ¨,«:%*&¶##
¶&*%:::«,¨              GROUND ITSELF.              ¨,«:::%*&¶
##¶&*%:«,¨                                          ¨,«:%*&¶##
&&&**%:«,¨ SITTING  THERE,  I  COULD SEE ACROSS THE ¨,«:%**&&&
##¶&*%:«,¨ NARROWED  LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ¨,«:%*&¶##
¶¶¶&*%:«,¨ SAT:  FROM THE  STAIRWELL  OF  MY HOUSE, ¨,«:%*&¶¶¶
#&*:,¨¨¨¨¨ THROUGH THE  OLD WOODS BEHIND  THE  TILE ¨¨¨¨¨,:*&#
###&*%:«,¨      FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE      ¨,«:%*&###
##¶&*%:«,¨ TWENTY THREE  AND  THEN  BACK UNDER  IT, ¨,«:%*&¶##
###&*%:«,¨ THROUGH   THE  FANCY  VILLAS,  OVER  THE ¨,«:%*&###
#¶*%:,,¨¨¨ FIELDS, AND  THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE ¨¨¨,,:%*¶#
#¶*:,¨¨¨¨¨                   FORK.                  ¨¨¨¨¨,:*¶#
##¶&*%:«,¨                                          ¨,«:%*&¶##
##¶&*%:«,¨ AND  THEN THE  STAIRS UP  ON  THE RIDGE. ¨,«:%*&¶##
#&&*%%:«,¨ THINKING  BACK, THIS  WAS  PROBABLY  IT. ¨,«:%%*&&#
##¶&*%:«,¨ HIDDEN  IN  A  GROVE, THERE  WERE STAIRS ¨,«:%*&¶##
##¶&*%:«,¨ MUCH LIKE THE  ONES I CURRENTLY  SAT ON, ¨,«:%*&¶##
#&%:::««,¨ OLD  AND  WORN DOWN,  THAT  LEAD YOU  UP ¨,««:::%&#
##¶&*%:«,¨ ONTO THE  ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ¨,«:%*&¶##
&%«¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ I  INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT  ITS ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨«%&
#¶*%«¨¨¨¨¨ FOOT, I'M SURE  MY  EXPERIENCE  WOULD'VE ¨¨¨¨¨«%*¶#
¶**%««¨¨¨¨          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          ¨¨¨¨««%**¶
##¶&*%:«,¨                                          ¨,«:%*&¶##
¶¶*:,¨¨¨¨¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨¨¨¨¨,:*¶¶
##¶&*%:«,¨                                          ¨,«:%*&¶##
##¶&*%:«,¨ ON  THE  LAKE,  THERE  WERE  PEOPLE   IN ¨,«:%*&¶##
##¶&*%:«,¨ BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD  THEY EVEN  SEE ¨,«:%*&¶##
###¶&%:«,¨ ME?  IF  I SHOUTED, WOULD  THEY TURN  TO ¨,«:%&¶###
&**%:::«,¨         STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?          ¨,«:::%**&
#¶&*:««,¨¨                                          ¨¨,««:*&¶#
¶*:««««,,¨                                          ¨,,««««:*¶
###&*%:«,¨                                          ¨,«:%*&###
##¶&*%:«,¨                                          ¨,«:%*&¶##
#&%«,,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,,«%&#